Take Me There - book discontinued by Cleis Press Inc. - review by DeliciousSurprise

Take Me There, a collection of trans and genderqueer erotica, is a phenomenal anthology of stories crossing the lines of gender, sex, and sexuality. Brought to you by Cleis Press Inc. (the largest independent queer publishing company in the USA) and edited by Tristan Taormino, you're brought into a world where gender is fluid, and the only thing that really matters is whether or not the sex is good--and, for the most part, it is.

The book contains 29 stories (283 pages) written by authors I'd heard of and knew I'd enjoy (S Bear Bergman and Ivan Coyote, for example) and those who were totally new to me (Gina de Vries and Zev). The stories aren't anything alike, but not all of them will appeal to every audience. This is geared towards a more open-minded audience, since most of the stories do feature at least a brief mindfuck over who exactly is whom. Almost every possible gender presentation is present, from femme to FTM, genderqueer to MTF--and not every relationship is monogamous.

This isn't a book where everyone will love every story--there are just too many different themes incorporated for that--but that's also what makes the book such a thrilling read; you have stories about fisting, stories about strap-on play, stories about girls with cocks and boys with cunts... but if you get a few pages in and realize it's not doing it for you, you can always skip to the next one. I have read feedback that the strange pronouns (boi, ze, hy, hir) were hard to get into; for me they didn't present a problem, as they're terms I hear with frequency, though I do understand that it can be kind of weird to read new pronouns. There are stories featuring both Daddy/girl and Daddy/boi elements which seem to be lacking in almost all anthologies; I found it to be tastefully done, and quite sexy.

There are also a few stories that feature BDSM elements to them, such as Punching Bag (Rachel Kramer Bussel), which has a FTM character in a quite tasty takedown scene (a struggle for power, ending with total domination). One of my favorite stories, by Evan Swafford (On His Knees) featured the Daddy/boi dynamic, as well as strap-on play and fisting.

Don't get me wrong, though, it's not all just hot steamy sex--Big Gifts in Small Boxes (Patrick Califa) is a much more sensual, romantic story about fear and honesty and, eventually, trust (and kinky delicious loving).

There's even a story in it for those of us who Really love shoes--Shoes Are Meant to Get You Somewhere (Dean Scarborough) pairs dressup with beautiful shoes--but it's also a little heartbreaking, "What's the difference between you and a woman anymore? his mother had once asked him."

The book is bound well, and has shown no wear and tear after several weeks of careless browsing.